


Remember - An Alice: Madness Returns Christmas Gift

by anxious_birb



Category: American McGee's Alice
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Gift Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 21:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13466919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxious_birb/pseuds/anxious_birb
Summary: With London's coldest and most cherished holiday arriving with an air of dread, the Cheshire Cat takes it upon himself to lighten the somber atmosphere- and help Alice find an inner peace for just one evening.





	Remember - An Alice: Madness Returns Christmas Gift

**Author's Note:**

> It is far past Christmas, but I really did enjoy writing this piece! I hope you like it :D

Snow had always been a bitter thing, the memories of Christmas’s long since passed a malevolent reminder of what could have been— or what should never had come to be. Candles flickered desperately for air in every impoverished London window, casting a morbid shadow across soot grayed glass that painted itself more of a haphazard attempt at normality in a trying time, vibrantly curious eyes peering to the streets down below from the second story of Doctor Bumby’s bedraggled flat, a weary sigh escaping parted lips to leave a small stamp of humidity upon the glass.

“What a dreadful way to spend Christmas, locked away in the doctor’s waiting room..” Alice remarked to herself as she retreated to the very same rickety seat she had been resting in before, thin hands folding casually in the young woman’s lap as she awaited something peculiar to rip her from this place, her thoughts trailing only slightly while the snow of today’s occasion continued to pelt itself harshly at citizens.

“You look awfully bored, dear Alice.” A low voice purred before it gained a form familiar to Wonderland’s warrior, the Cheshire Cat flicking his tail in hushed playfulness a moment while simply waiting for Alice to respond, ears colored in a beautiful muted grey twitching once before stepping closer. “Try and ignore me all you’d like, but you know why I’m here.”

“I’m not going to play your game, Cat. I’m not fighting anything on the bloody holidays.”

The Cheshire Cat let out a small click of the tongue before grinning from ear to fuzzy ear, Halloween orange eyes gazing intently at the young woman with an air of knowing that Alice absolutely could not stand, paws adorned in claws sharp enough to slice a man in two clacking on the floorboards as the large feline teasingly stepped closer; earning him a huff from the young woman.

“What?” She questioned in annoyance before finally allowing her attention to fall on the Cheshire Cat that sat lazily in front of herself , the creature’s chin resting on one of Alice’s legs. “You’re awfully needy today. Did you hit your head or have you fallen ill?”

“On the contrary, Alice. I am simply urging you to follow without ruining the surprise..”

“Surprise? What surprise?” Alice questioned, unable to stop the curiosity from leaving her mouth in time for the Cat to stop his ploy; lifting his head and beginning to walk with a casual gait towards the nearest open doorway, her lips drawing in a frustrated line before Wonderland’s warrior begrudgingly followed the steps of the mysterious creature.

“You haven’t answered my-“

The world around herself had completely changed; and by this time she counted herself lucky that her universe always seemed to be tipping to different settings because this switch had been no less disorienting than the last, a turquoise gaze blinking rapidly a few moments before Alice began to take in her surroundings, every inch of Wonderland having been converted into a wintery paradise.

“Surprise!” The Cheshire Cat chimed as he continued walking forward with silent steps, paw prints being left perfectly in the creature’s wake as Alice began following suit in awe, every last inch of her mind’s safest place transformed into frozen lakes and decorated trees.

“This is… quite the surprise.” Alice remarked with breath that caught and formed clouds on the way out of pale lips, the young woman having not realized a small smile had taken her usually somber expression and replaced it with a rare warmth, blushed fingers brushing against the snowman greeting them on the lantern lit path to the White Rabbit's tiny home while snow crunched under each step.

Upon closer observation Alice realized quickly that her usual garb for attending the Rabbit’s parties had indeed been altered for the occasion, fur lined clothing keeping her toasty while the pale blues of her dress and jacket kept her fitting in, the warrior pulling the soft hood on her jacket over cold ears while feeling its texture with happiness, all of her reservations about the holidays falling to the wayside for just a moment before they came parading back like a race horse.

“So what’s the catch, Cat? It’s to peaceful here, and you know it. Not to mention you’ve been acting weird since you dragged me back.”

“My silence worries you, dear Alice? I’m touched.”

“Well don’t be used to it, you won’t get much care beyond that.”

The Cheshire Cat let out a deep and playful laugh that transitioned itself to a soft snicker, the creature shaking his head slightly before swatting a razor sharp paw at a mound in the snow that gave way to a Drifting Ruin frozen solid in a sheet of thick ice, Alice taking a cautious step back as she assessed her danger here, eyebrows knitting as she turned her questioning gaze over towards her apparent tour guide, the creature having stopped next to the horrid beast that was newly discovered.

“One thing I love about snow is how it covers up dread, Alice. Your enemies have a forced ceasefire, thanks to the holiday. Your mind hates you, but not that much.”

Alice was embarrassed as a relieved sigh encompassed her anxiety to make it less, her steps weary as she carefully treaded past the Ruin frozen in its frenzy, the Vorpal Blade balanced reluctantly in trembling fingers that begged to spill the demon’s blood, the young woman feeling its hunger as she finally passed by the inky beast with skin that crawled.

“Need I remind you…” The Cheshire Cat stated, his voice traveling among trees illuminated in candles and decorated with popcorn. “A ceasefire is compliant of both sides. Should one break the agreement, then it is fair game once again.”

“It was hardly fair to begin with.”

“Yes, but fighting in these conditions would hardly be fun for you- maybe fun for me.” The large cryptic beast retaliated as the weathered door to the Rabbit’s party shimmered into view through the haze of softly falling snow, Alice giving the Cat a harsh glare before wading up to her friend’s door and giving it a harsh knock, the wooden surface rattling under the force.

“White Rabbit? It’s me, Alice! It hardly seems right to keep your guest waiting.”

The door burst open just as the last words left Alice’s mouth and she was greeted with a clump of snow falling from the roof to cover her shoulders, the warrior letting out a small yelp while the White Rabbit erupted into laughter, pale cheeks flushing in embarrassment as the short rabbit pulled his friend in by the arm, Alice nearly tripping on her boots before straightening herself out.

“A-Alice, you should have seen your f-face!”

“I don’t think it was that funny.” She retorted bitterly before brushing the rapidly melting snow from her jacket’s furred shoulders, her friend’s hysterical laughter sinking into her very bones as she let out a halfhearted sigh, Alice sure her face could give away that she surely had missed the Rabbit no matter how annoying he was or how terrible his pranks had always been.

“H-here for t-tea are you? Well, you’re just on time for the others!”

“Others?” Alice questioned anxiously as the front door nearly fell off its hinges as more residents of Wonderland entered the compact little rabbit sized home, the premise feeling chokingly cramped as familiar faces poured in to find a space by the fireplace that crackled with a flame that heated the whole home.

Surly though surprisingly, the Mad Hatter arrived in one functioning piece beside the Duchess and Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts who took up far to much room in her friend’s homily hovel, Alice looking at them nervously as they all cramped themselves together to sit across the table at which she sat nervously, the Duchess plucking up the White Rabbit by his foot to examine just how well he might cook in a stew but only making the poor creature screech in terror instead.

“Put him down Duchess!” Alice snapped viciously before relinquishing the Vorpal blade from its security at her side, intense blue eyes threateningly daunting as the young woman moved the glinting edge to one of Duchess’s hulking arms. “Or lose a limb. He is not your dinner, not while I’m here.”

Seemingly weighing the options of her dinner, the Duchess finally relented her hold on the frantically screaming rabbit while everyone nervously eyed the dinner blade reflecting flames on its surface, knowing that if it drew even a single speck of blood the powers at that table could unleash full scale war if they so wished, the Hatter gazing longingly at the weapon as if to pray that Alice might snap.

“Are you alright, Rabbit?” Ms.Liddell questioned worriedly as she knelt to check on her soft-hearted friend, a lithe hand extending to fix the anxious creature’s vest and hat before giving him an embrace intended to calm him down even a smidgen, the young woman feeling the rabbit’s quaking paws hang onto her a moment before finally stabilizing back to normal.

“You’ll apologize right now, or leave Duchess. If you say you are civilized, then you know surly that that kind of behavior is completely unacceptable. You do not eat the host of the home you enter.”

There was a moment of silence before the Mad Hatter exploded into laughter, a dark brow quirking as Alice looked upon the mechanical man with an unending gaze of question, the deteriorating features of his face stretched in exuberance as the snorted honks he produced finally silenced, a rusted hand reaching up to dust away tears that were never actually there.

“I put her up to it- it was me!”

“Telling me this is really making me resent your company even more, Hatter.” Alice replied bluntly, her expression all levels of fed up as the man before herself acted so sly and cunning. “If you wished to remain at this party, then you are out of luck, the both of you. You both know that the White Rabbit is a very anxious fellow.”

“But it makes boring parties so fun!” The Mad Hatter replied in a voice crack of expression, his words high in his throat and ecstatic in meaning as he continued to be unaware of what he had done wrong, Her Majesty tapping her hands in discontent upon the table as she awaited such squabble to come to an end, her eyes nothing past fiery.

“LEAVE, BOTH OF YOU.” The Queen blurted loudly to shatter the tension and only raise it, black locks slightly out of disarray as she raised from her seat in anger, the Duchess and Hatter scrambling immediately for the door out of fear for their own skin. “I ATTENDED THIS PARTY FOR PEACE, NOT NEGLECT.”

The Cheshire Cat closed the wooden door behind the two banished guests with a swish of the tail and a click of the latch, his expression truly entertained as he allowed himself to lay in front of the blazing fireplace with paws stretched then crossed for optimal comfort, Alice judging slightly but nevertheless quiet about it.

“Somet-times I forget he’s a cat, then h-he does stuff like that.” The White Rabbit stated with a soft laugh before grabbing the tea kettle from the oven with a more at ease air now that the two troublemakers had left his home, the Queen having sat back down in her previous seat in content silence as she watched the orange glow of flames cast shadows of great length against the walls, the smell of fresh baked cakes almost casting a spell of peace upon the very air.

“I hope you remember this place, Alice. Remember it when life has taken you for a fool.” The Cheshire Cat purred with a yawn that exposed all of his sharp teeth, Alice looking towards him with a confused eyebrow arched in question, but the large creature was in a slumber before she could ask anymore questions of him, the Queen letting out a small chuckle at the appearance of their most powerful ally napping like an actual feline.

“I never thought we’d be sitting again like this.” Her Majesty said warmly towards Alice, her gazing seemingly lost in thought before she motioned for the White Rabbit to pour tea for them all, the small rabbit eager to comply as he hopped down the hall to grab three of his finest teacups that would hold the apple cinnamon tea that had just been brewed, the sound of paw pads hitting against carpet traveling towards the table where two enemies sat in a friendly presence.

“I didn’t think we would either, but Cheshire promised a surprise.” Alice replied with a glance towards the small figure that hopped down the hall in glee, an unprecedented calmness having overtaken her usually frantic thoughts as the three finally began sipping tea and relishing in merriment.

“Rabbit, this tea is splendid! But I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks..” Wonderland’s warrior remarked out of what should have been concern, but nothing more than sleepy words came out of her mouth as she continued to sip the brew Rabbit had specially made. “I do wonder…”

“T-try and get some rest, Alice. Y-you need it.” The White Rabbit remarked as he gently put a blanket over Alice’s slumped shoulders, the world- for the first time in a time that could be remembered- was welcoming, the young woman steadily falling asleep as she was encompassed by a comfort she sorely needed.

“Remember us, Alice.”

Alice awoke in her bed with a start before sitting upright, the soft hues of the only candle in the window sill dancing across the surfaces of every dull wall to make them seem warmer, the young woman shifting to get out of the covers before lithe fingers brushed against the soft fabrics of Rabbit’s blanket that still rested on her shoulders, a small smile gifted on somber features before the toll of the midnight bell sounded across the frozen London streets, the day of Christmas having finally gone by to be waited upon until a whole year had passed.

“Thank you.” She whispered.


End file.
